8th May 2026
School formals have become a serious cost-of-living issue for many families, with ticket prices, outfits, transport, hair and makeup quickly pushing the final bill into the hundreds or even thousands of dollars. A recent case at Ōrewa College showed how quickly the debate can flare when a ball ticket was set at $230 before being cut to $195 after parent backlash.
Parents described the original $230 ticket as “obscene,” especially given the cost-of-living squeeze, and one parent with twins said the event would have cost nearly $500 just for tickets. The school later reduced the price after reviewing the event budget.
Ticket prices are only the starting point. Reports on school balls in New Zealand say tickets can range from about $100 to more than $300, depending on venue, catering and event scale. At some schools, principals have tried to keep prices below $100 through fundraising and cheaper venues, but that is increasingly difficult when event costs rise.
The ticket is only one part of the bill. Families also have to cover dresses or suits, shoes, hair, makeup, nails, accessories, transport, corsages, and often pre-ball or after-ball events. One parent interviewed in national coverage said those extras made the overall cost feel “horrendous,” and described spending a couple of thousand dollars across several balls.
That is why the debate over school formals is not really just about entertainment. For many households, the issue is whether the event has drifted beyond what ordinary families can comfortably afford. Even if a school holds ticket prices down, the broader social expectation around formal wear can still make attendance expensive.
The rising cost of school formals also raises questions about fairness. When prices climb, students from lower-income families are more likely to miss out, even if they want to go. School leaders have acknowledged that while they can help with tickets, they cannot control the cost of dresses, grooming and other extras.
That creates a split between the ideal of a memorable shared rite of passage and the reality of unequal access. A formal can become a status event, rather than a celebration open to everyone in the year group. In that sense, the cost of the night is shaping who gets to belong.
Schools that keep formals more affordable tend to rely on student committees, sponsorship, fundraising and modest venues. Those measures can help, but they only go so far when external costs rise. The challenge is balancing a special event with the need to keep it inclusive.
Ōrewa College’s ticket cut shows that schools can respond when families push back. But the bigger issue remains the same: school formals are no longer a small annual expense, and for many parents, they now rival other major household costs.
